The Expert Imaging and Sound Association is a unique and longstanding collaboration between, currently, some 53 of most respected specialist CE magazines. These periodicals, their websites and forums deliver regular and independent technical reviews on new products, and embrace the full sphere of consumer electronics. Member magazines from over 25 countries contribute their experience to one or more of EISA’s six Expert Groups in the fields of Photography, Mobile Devices, Hi-Fi, Home Theatre Audio, Home Theatre Display & Video and In-Car Electronics.

WHAT ARE THE EISA AWARDS?

Every year, the EISA Awards celebrate those new products that combine the most advanced technology and desirable features with class-leading performance. The EISA Awards extend from the most affordable, high value products to the most aspirational expressions of modern consumer electronics. Award categories change from year to year, reflecting the evolution of product design and connectivity, but every EISA Award winner remains the very best in its class. The sheer strength in depth of EISA’s members ensures the EISA Awards logo carries tremendous weight with all informed consumers.

HOW ARE PRODUCTS NOMINATED?

Based on their own reviews and tests throughout the year, each member magazine nominates an initial short-list of products that best reflects the star performers in their particular Expert Group(s). All these individual recommendations are collated into a master list before the merits of these products are discussed in detail, and in person, by the members of each Expert Group at EISA’s AGM in late June. The final voting takes place at this AGM and all nominations are kept strictly confidential.

PRODUCT ELIGIBILITY AND TIMELINE

With the exception of products nominated purely for innovation or design all candidates for EISA Award nomination must have been tested by at least five member magazines from the appropriate Expert Group before the EISA AGM. To achieve this, the absolute deadline for supply of products to member magazines is 26th May 2018, but preferably before 31st March 2018, to ensure sufficient time for thorough testing. To coordinate delivery of your products to individual Expert Group magazines before April, please contact the appropriate Expert Group Manager [www.eisa.eu/staff]. If you cannot supply before April then please contact EISA’s Vice President, Ljubiša Miodragovic, as soon as possible [ljubisa.miodragovic@eisa.eu]. Finally, to qualify for an EISA Award 2018-19, the nominated product(s) must also be available for sale in at least 10 European countries before 1st October 2018. Similarly, any pre-ordered products must be delivered to consumer(s) by the 15th Oct 2018. EISA Awards will be withdrawn from any products that fail to meet this deadline for their general availability.

HAS YOUR PRODUCT WON AN EISA AWARD?

Companies with products in receipt of an EISA Award will be informed immediately following the Annual General Meeting at the end of June. The President of EISA will be your primary contact in this regard while international distributors will be informed a few days later by the editor of each country’s member magazine. Confirmation of the Award will subsequently be made in writing along with our official Award Agreement and Award Licence documents which must be signed and returned to EISA HQ before the relevant EISA Award logo is released.

WHEN CAN YOU ANNOUNCE YOUR AWARD?

News, press releases or other announcements of any EISA Award is strictly embargoed until August 15th 2018 (00:00 CET). Winning companies may use this information internally only and are also responsible for managing the activities of their international distributors during this period. The embargo period, typically one month, allows all winning companies the time to prepare their marketing portfolios prior to the official announcement of the EISA Awards on August 15th 2018.

HOW ARE THE EISA AWARDS ANNOUNCED?

An official press release will be mailed to media outlets worldwide and the EISA website will go live with the official pictures and citations for all Award-winning products on August 15th 2018 (00:00 CET). EISA member’s websites will also go live with the same material from their Expert Group(s), translated into their local language, at the same time. EISA member magazines will follow this up with a printed EISA Awards feature promoting every product within its Expert Group(s). A full Awards listing will also be printed by every member magazine but there will be no grading of other products or identification of individual magazine’s nominations.

EISA AWARD GALA CEREMONY

Every year the EISA Awards trophies are presented at an official ceremony, attended by all the Editors of EISA’s member magazines, and to which the principals of all winning companies are officially invited. The Gala will be held on the evening of Friday August 21st 2018, at the Kempinski Bristol Hotel in Berlin, to coincide with the opening of IFA. During the Awards ceremony the nominated representative of every winning company will be invited on stage to receive its EISA Award trophy from the EISA President, Vice President and Manager of the Expert Group.

Key dates of the EISA Awards

Middle of May

EISA Convention

October 1st previous year until September 30th, final year of the Award

Period in between products must have been appeared on the market

However products to be awarded have to be available for detailed test before the start of each year’s AGM

August 15th, 00:00 CET

Public Announcements

August 15th until August 15th next year

Validity EISA Award

October 1st in year of Award

Date products must be definitely on-sale in quantities to the public in at least 10 European countries, with the underlined exceptions

EISA Awards presentation ceremony

Starting day of IFA Berlin

EISA Rules

RULES OF COPYRIGHT AND GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT PUBLICITY

All products to be awarded – with the exception of those awarded in Innovation and Design categories – must have been available for detailed test evaluation for the magazines in each Expert Group concerned. Latest and brand new products will only be accepted if they have been available for detailed testing before the start of each year’s AGM by a least 5 member magazines of the concerned Expert Group. In addition, awarded products must also be for sale in quantities to the general public no later than the 1st October in the year of the EISA Awards in at least 10 European countries. Products sold under a pre-order basis should be delivered to the originator of the sale up to the 15th October of the year the award is conferred.

The use of the EISA Award title and logo is bound by the rules of an Award Agreement and a Licence Agreement of the Awards Logo which must be signed by a responsible executive of the winning company. The winning companies are only allowed to use the specific EISA Awards title and logo after signing and returning the official EISA Award Agreement and EISA Licence Agreement of the Awards Logo within ten days by fax and mail to the EISA HQ.

A) AWARD AGREEMENT

The Award Agreement must confirm that the awarded products will be definitely for sale in quantities to the general public no later than the 1st October in the year of the Awards in at least 10 European countries. Breaking this rule will be punished with an official rectification in all EISA Magazines and on the EISA website, an official and complete stop on using the specific Award title and logo in any form and a penalty of Euro 60.000. The official trophy and certificate has to be returned/will not be given. Already paid fees will not be credited.

Exceptions to this rules are only accepted in the case of awards categories like Innovation, Design or High-End, even if these exceptions can only be accepted upon a clear and explicit information from the awarded company highlighting the reasons why the above requirements cannot be met in full.

Affected companies will be fully liable for any damages suffered by EISA as a consequence of its winning product availability criteria not being fulfilled.

B) LICENCE AGREEMENT OF USAGE OF THE AWARDS LOGO

If the Licence Agreement of Usage of the Awards Logo has been signed in favour of the full use, the Awards title and logo can be used as often as possible world-wide, in magazine and newspaper advertising, television commercials, poster-exhibition displays, product packaging stickers etc. The corresponding invoice must be paid within 30 days to the EISA account.

If the Licence Agreement of Usage of the Awards Logo has been signed in favour of use in special-interest of Photography, Hi- Fi, Home Theatre Audio, Home Theatre Display & Video, In Car Electronics and Mobile Devices magazines, winning companies must not use the logo and/or title in any other form, including the Internet.

According to the rules of the Award Agreement and Licence Agreement of Usage of the Awards Logo, companies may publicize their winning products after 15th August of the year the award was conferred.

An Award is valid until 15th August of the following year. After this date has passed the winning company is obliged to cease promotional activities with its product’s Awards title in a striking way and to stop the use of the associated logo. The logo may only be used during the year of the Awards period; the title can be used in a not striking way for a maximum period of 5 years.

The Award title must always be written out in full, e.g. “European TV 2015-2016”, “European Loudspeaker 2015-2016” and so on, always mentioning the year of the Award.

While the specific EISA Awards logo can be printed without writing out the Award title, the title cannot be used without the logo during the Award year.

The logo and/or the title can only be used in direct connection with promoting a winning product, and that product alone. The logo has to be printed at a minimum readable size of 30 mm. It is strictly forbidden for winning companies to change any typographical or graphical elements within the Awards logo artwork.

The winning company is kindly requested to provide its national distributors with a copy of the Awards logo or other print material, and the rules of publicity concerning the Award.

All publicity activity in support of a winning product, including use of the Awards logotype etc., is the sole responsibility of the user and EISA can accept no liability for any consequences arising howsoever caused.

EISA can accept no liability for any consequences arising on the quality of an awarded product

EISA Maestro

Terms and Conditions for the EISA Maestro Photo Contest 2017-2018 can be found here.